


That Would Be Enough

by bravest_person_in_Wonderland



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Doctor Who (1963), Doctor Who (Big Finish Audio)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Friendship/Love, No Plot/Plotless, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Surprise Kissing, soft angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-28
Updated: 2020-07-28
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:14:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 809
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25576396
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bravest_person_in_Wonderland/pseuds/bravest_person_in_Wonderland
Summary: The Doctor lets his feelings and impulse take over, which leads to a rushed conversation of the most important sort.
Relationships: Eighth Doctor/Charley Pollard
Comments: 11
Kudos: 13





	That Would Be Enough

**Author's Note:**

> To be completely honest, I'm not completely satisfied with this, but I can't seem to figure out if I should change anything, so here it is! 
> 
> It started out based on a line in a friend's fic (hi Beebs!) but then totally became something else, so without further ado... 
> 
> *yeets fic*

The Doctor winced and tried to pay attention to both the codes he was typing, as well as the rather angry words Charley was throwing his way because of yet another risk he'd taken. He was fine, and hopefully still would be after this next attempt at saving the space station they were on, but _he'd terrified her, he should at least give her a bit of warning before he went off to be all imbecilic and noble without so much as a word, what if he died or-_

With no real prompting, he turned around and cut Charley off in the middle of what she was saying by pressing his lips to hers. She tensed, giving a small noise of surprise before relaxing into the kiss.

"What on earth-" her eyes were wide and her cheeks flushed when he pulled away. "Doctor?" Her voice pitched up and cracked a little bit and she stared at him with confusion swirling in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have-" the Doctor tried to backpedal, flustered, what had he been thinking? He'd overstepped a boundary between them, who knew what sort of repercussions that could have.

"No, you really shouldn't," Charley replied, her voice slightly unsteady, "Not when you-" she broke off. The Doctor waited, afraid of what she might say next.

"Not after what you said before," she eventually finished, a brief flash of pain in her eyes. "About 'no yearnings'," she quoted with a worryingly hollow note to her voice.

A jolt passed through the Doctor as he realized how his instruction of several weeks ago now had sounded to her. "Charley, that's not... not exactly what I meant by that."

"Then what did you mean?" A spark of hope lit her face.

"I just meant- agh!" The Doctor pushed his hands through his hair in frustration. This was an awful time, why had he decided to kiss her now of all times? "Charley, whatever it is that you and I feel for each other, we can't... can't let that, those feelings, get in the way of all three of us -- you, me, and C'rizz -- as a team, as a _family."_

Charley blinked hard and was silent for several long moments as he turned back to the machine he had been fiddling with. "So," she said softly, "did you mean anything by it? By- kissing me just then?"

The Doctor glanced over at her, his eyes soft. "Only quite possibly everything," he said.

"And what does that mean?" Charley asked with a confused half-laugh.

"Charley, Charley, Charley, when will you get it?" He finished his preparations and faced her again, ever so tempted to take her face in his hands, or to run his fingers through her hair. But instead he took her hands. "I love you," he murmured, and felt her hands tremble just slightly.

"I-" but before she could reply, an alert blared through the station and the Doctor had to let her hands go.

"Charley, you need to go find C'rizz and get out of here with the others," he directed, frowning.

"But what about you?"

"I'll be fine. I've got it all planned out." Their eyes met, and something passed between them in that moment that meant more to both than either would ever know. Then Charley came close and pulled him into a tight hug. The Doctor wrapped his arms around her in return and allowed himself a moment to bury his face in the crook of her neck as she held onto him as if trying to hold him together.

Maybe that was it. Charley was always holding him together, keeping him anchored and steady, and if he ever lost her... he didn't know how he could live with it. She must have felt the same way, because when she released him after as many long moments as were reasonable in the circumstances, she fixed him with a deep stare.

"You'll make it back?" Her gaze didn't falter. "Promise you'll come back to me."

He couldn't _truly_ promise that. So instead he just gave her a bittersweet smile and held back the urge to kiss her again. If he thought too much about how her lips had felt on his or how right she felt in his arms, who knew what stupid decision he might make.

Thankfully, Charley didn't press further. She held his eyes for a second longer, then nodded and turned to go find C'rizz. Before she left the room, she looked over her shoulder one last time, and the Doctor gave her another soft smile as she walked away.

Once she was gone and he was alone in the space station with only the beeping of technology, he ran through his calculations once more before putting his plan into place, this time factoring in his own survival, for Charley's sake.


End file.
